Ethiopia allows flights to Tigray, but none have yet taken off from Addis Ababa
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NAIROBI, Kenya – Authorities in Addis Ababa have said humanitarian flights could take off to the Tigray region, which has been embroiled in a deadly war for eight months, amid concerns from the international community, which is pushing for the restoration of other in the north.
The international community had raised concerns that aid was not reaching those facing starvation, but although Ethiopia claims to have authorized flights, Civil Aviation noted that none of these flights had taken off from Addis Ababa.
During all these months, the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] fights with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray [TPLF], otherwise known as the Tigray Defense Forces [TDF], which administrations often qualify as “terrorists”.
The TPLF seized Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray, which was under the control of the ENDF, but the government insisted it had voluntarily withdrawn to allow humanitarian groups to help. innocent civilians. The TPLF has since claimed victory in the conflict.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declared a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire and said his troops had left Mekelle to deal with greater security threats elsewhere.
“As of Monday, July 5, 2021, the federal government has granted flight authorization to all parties interested in providing humanitarian services in the Tigray region,” authorities said on Twitter.
But Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw, director general of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, said no such flight had taken off from Addis Ababa this week.
“He [permission] must be processed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must then reach us. So far, we have not received anything from the MFA, ”he told Reuters.
“And no flight left Addis Ababa for Mekelle. If there were any, I would know.”
OCHA, which is the United Nations humanitarian agency, told Reuters in a brief statement that it welcomed the Ethiopian government’s announcement.
“Unfortunately, no flights have yet been able to travel directly from Addis Ababa to Mekelle or [the northern town of] Shire this week, “said OCHA’s Guiomar Pau Sole.” However, we are monitoring all concerned to ensure that direct flights can be operated as soon as possible, in light of this announcement. “
The United Nations said on Friday that food shortages have worsened dramatically over the past two weeks and that some 400,000 people in Tigray are now believed to be starving, while 1.8 million more are on the brink of starvation. famine. Read more
Also on Friday, the government denied blocking humanitarian aid in Tigray and said it was rebuilding infrastructure amid accusations it is using hunger as a weapon.
It was not immediately possible to reach the TPLF or any of the leaders in the Tigray region for comment. Last week, a TPLF spokesperson condemned the government’s shutdown of services, including air transport, as an ongoing act of war.
Pressure is mounting on both sides to end hostilities so that aid can reach the hungry. The commander of the Tigrayan forces on Tuesday called for a negotiated ceasefire with the government and a political solution, saying the government could not win the war. Read more
Doctors Without Borders aid agency [MSF] Wednesday called for an investigation into the deaths of its three employees killed by unknown assailants in Tigray last month.
MSF said it was withdrawing its activities in Abi Adi, Adigrat and Axum, in central and eastern Tigray, while continuing to provide assistance to people in urgent need in other areas.
“In this terrible time, we have taken the extremely painful but necessary decision to suspend our activities in several regions of Tigray,” MSF director of operations Teresa Sancristoval said in a statement.
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